Celebrating the Heart and Stories of Brazil

Cinema Brazil is dedicated to bringing the heart and soul of Brazilian cinema to the San Francisco Bay Area. Through year-round screenings, filmmaker conversations, and cultural events, we celebrate the stories, voices, and creativity that make Brazil one of the world's most vibrant filmmaking nations.

In September 2026, this vision comes to life with the inaugural San Francisco Brazilian Film Festival. Together, we are building a place where filmmakers and audiences connect through the power of storytelling and cinema.

Cinema Brazil is more than a film festival; it is a cultural gathering designed to bring communities together, celebrate Brazilian heritage, and create meaningful conversations about resilience, the power of storytelling, and the art of cinema.

- Zanna de Sant’Anna, founder

Featured Directors

  • Walter Salles

    Director of Central Station and the Academy winner I’m Still Here.



  • Allan Deberton

    Director of Gugu’s World.

  • Gabriel Mascaro

    Director of The Blue Trail.

  • Wagner Moura

    Director of Marighella and award-winning actor in The Secret Agent.

  • " A camera in your hand, an idea in your mind”

    —Glauber Rocha, pioneer of Cinema Novo

  • "I come from a country and also a continent whose identity is in the making... the films made in our latitudes carry that sense of urgency."

    —Walter Salles, director

  • "And my generation in Brazil was influenced by Cinema Novo. So we're echoing what's been done way in the past."

    — Walter Salles

  • "Once in a while, you see a movie that doesn't feel made, but extracted from a dreaming mind."

    — Matt Zoller Seitz, about The Secret Agent